Republicans continue to dominate state politics as Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and other statewide officeholders all won re-election Tuesday, but Democrats made gains in the Texas Legislature.

When lawmakers convene in January, 12 more Democrats will have seats in the Texas House of Representatives, reducing the GOP majority from the current 95-55 to 83-67. In the Texas Senate, Democrats flipped two seats, but Republicans will hold a 19-12 majority.

Court upholds USDE's $33 million penalty against Texas for drop in special ed funding

The state's decision to spend $33.3 million less on students with disabilities in 2012 will likely cost it millions in future federal funding after an appellate court found that Texas violated federal law. In a 13-page Wednesday ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a three-judge panel questioned the state's method for allocating special education funding.

If states reduce funding, the Department of Education reduces the amount of federal aid by the same amount. Now the federal government has the option to collect the $33.3 million penalty in one chunk or spread it out over several years. The penalty is about 3 percent of Texas' annual $1 billion federal special education grant, according to TEA officials who said the penalty would have minimal impact on special education programs.

TCTA is now accepting nominations for the 2018-19 awards program, which honors those who have made outstanding contributions to public education, the teaching profession or TCTA during the past year. Categories include:

A 16-year-old student shot his former girlfriend twice in the school cafeteria. He also fired at her current boyfriend, but missed. The student was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of deadly conduct, terroristic threat and possession of a firearm at a place weapons are prohibited. A juvenile court found that the teen should be tried as an adult, but the student appealed that decision. The court of appeals held that the teenager should be tried as an adult.